Formula 1 · Sporting rules 2026 / Article B2
Weekend and race distance
FIA · 2026 · Issue 09In short
Practice, Sprint weekends and scheduled race length.
Weekend formats
A standard weekend has practice, qualifying and the Race. The alternative format adds Sprint Qualifying and a Sprint, with less practice. Sprint Qualifying sets the Sprint grid; separate Qualifying sets the Race grid, subject to penalties and the grid-allocation rules.
Distance and time
The Race uses the fewest complete laps exceeding 305 km, or 260 km in Monaco. Special Safety Car formation procedures can shorten it. Time limits can also end a race before its scheduled distance: suspension time is added subject to the overall limit, and the finishing signal follows the prescribed lap procedure.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Three supplied FIA documents, with different seasons: general provisions 2026 (Issue 03, 25/06/2026), sporting rules 2026 (Issue 09, 01/10/2026), and technical rules 2027 (Issue 3, 01/10/2026). Read each section for its stated season. Future changes are identified separately. Independent condensed explanations; the supplied PDFs remain the source.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗